1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for measuring a body size such as abdominal extension girth or chest girth, and further to a method of doing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, there has been developed an apparatus for measuring a body size such as abdominal extension girth or chest girth as a non-contact system, namely, without making contact with a target person. For instance, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 62 (1987)-231623 suggests an apparatus for automatically measuring a body shape, including a body shape detecting unit including six body shape detectors each of which horizontally detects a distance to a body of a target person from a predetermined location over a certain range, and outputs a signal indicative of the distance, and drivers each of which vertically drives three body shape detectors at a time. The apparatus collects body data output from each of the body shape detectors to thereby have body shape data.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7 (1995)-313492 suggests an apparatus for measuring a body size including light emitting means for emitting laser slit beams, laser beam reflecting means for rotating so as to indirectly irradiate the laser slit beams to a dead angle area of a target person, and image capturing means for capturing images of the emitted laser beams. The apparatus measures a surface and/or a volume of a body on the basis of the obtained data.
The applicant of the present application has suggested the apparatuses for measuring a body size in Japanese Patents Nos. 4308874 and 4308875. The apparatus for measuring a body size, disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4308874, includes distance measuring means for measuring a distance to a body of a target person, and causes the distance measuring means to run around the target person to thereby measure abdominal extension girth or chest girth. In the apparatus for measuring a body size, disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4308875, a measurement table on which a target person lies is rotated, and a distance to a body of the target person lying on the measurement table is measured to thereby measure a body size of the target person.
Since the apparatuses disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publications Nos. 62 (1987)-231623 and 7 (1995)-313492 are large in size and complicated in structure, they cost so much, and hence, it is difficult to introduce them into facilities such as a hospital and a health center, resulting in that they are not spread. Furthermore, since the apparatuses disclosed in Japanese Patents Nos. 4308874 and 4308875 are necessary to include a driver for driving a measurement device and/or a target person, and further, include a movable component, it is not avoidable to carry out complicated maintenance.